Any room for Windows Phone with a CDMA iPhone?

Some stuff was being throw around today on our staff email we thought you guys should weigh in on because we’ve degraded into sending each other crazy photoshops. David K seems to think that this supposed CDMA iPhone is going to close the market that Microsoft is hoping to grab onto this “Holiday” season with their impending, yet ambiguous release of Windows Phone 7. He’s of the opinion that because Verizon only offers Android smart phones (because let’s face it; No one counts Blackberries anymore,) that Verizon’s large untapped market would suddenly have a lot more competition and advertising to deal with.

I felt inclined to agree with him but at the same time, the iPhone has been out for long enough where anyone who wanted one has either switched over to AT&T or realized how stupid they were being and gotten an awesome Android phone like the Evo or the Droid X. “Wait,” you say. “There have to be some people that are on Verizon and still want an iPhone.” I agree. Problem is that as soon as AT&T loses their exclusivity on the iPhone I also believe that they will lose their inclination to suck so bad in their phone selection and also flood with higher end Android phones we’ve been deprived of. The market is going to be tougher than Chuck Norris with Rhino lining for skin.

I think Microsoft stands a good chance if they can execute. I think that this is actually more likely than people give them credit for. Microsoft has a great history of releasing a really shitty product and then turning everything around with the next release. Think about the product cycle of Windows and how many crappy versions come out to tide people over. From 98 (which I’m counting as decent comparatively speaking) we have ME and 2000 which were awful. Then XP came out and it was awesome again. Windows Mobile has had similar ups and downs from basically “being” the smart phone market to that “other” category Simmons talks about so often. With this new release I feel like it’s time for Microsoft to have that R&D pay off.

Well now that you know what we were arguing about we need you to settle it. Do you think Windows Phone 7 has any room in the market if a CDMA iPhone were to be released, and how will the handset/carrier entrenchment shuffle if so?

7 COMMENTS

Tell that chick on iChat to stop beating up on my phone!
But really I do see this is a problem because the media hype of the iPhone takes the wind out of the WP7 sails. And the smart phone users know the iPhone. They don’t know WP7. I think it’s a problem if MS can’t get the product out the door asap and before people know that the VZ iPhone thing is a lock. Not saying it ends the product line…just saying it’s a big hit on sales.

it’s going to come down to how well they (MS) advertise WP7. that’s how Apple has done so well with the iphone – their ads are catchy. if MS can get some really great ones on TV and push the hell out of it then it should do fairly well, providing the product is equally great.

i’m going to try to save my upgrade for WP7’s release, but with AT&T finally brining decent androids to the table, it is going to be really hard.

In terms of stability and market success then I would say yes. I’m not saying 2000 didn’t have improvements and add a lot of functionality, but I would say that it’s not a high point in the operating systems product cycle.

what i don’t understand is just because Apple seems to have ordered some CDMA chips why people automatically assume its Verizon…
there are many other CDMA carrriers in the world, heck there’s even another CDMA carrier here in the USA… Also they seem to forget one key thing…AT&T has a contract with Apple that runs out in 2012 for the iPhone.. to end a contract like that, you have to have both sides agreeing to end it… Why would AT&T agree to something like that?

As long as nothing happens with a CDMA iPhone before Jan 1, 2011 (and I don’t think it will) then Microsoft has a golden opportunity to strike hard and stake their claim in the mobile wars. They certainly have the dollars and the resources to launch a significant media blitz, provided they truly believe in their product. Interesting to see how this will all play out.